(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report.
As weather cools across the United States, a growing number of Americans visit farms. They harvest apples enjoy hay wagon rides and walk in the fields. These people are called "agri-tourists." They improve the economy of rural areas and help farmers increase their profits.
School children are walking in a corn field maze. The corn is cut into tricky passageways that make it difficult to find a way out.
The children are from Yorktown Elementary School in Bowie Maryland. They have traveled to Montpelier Farms in Prince George's County which is also in Maryland. The farm is about 40 kilometers from The White House.
Debbie Pierson is the student's teacher.
"We go on these kind of field trips so that the children will have a hands-on experience of what it's like to be on a farm," Pierson said.
Amy Etsy-Smith is visiting the farm with her children.
"We come about once a year, Lots of fun, yes. The kids enjoy it. This was her favorite part, was choosing the pumpkin." Amy said.
When Mike Dunn opened the family farm to agri-tourists in 2008, he had only a corn maze, a pumpkin field and hay wagon rides. But he says, so many people visited that he soon increased the number of activities. He says he hopes he will someday make a larger profit from visitors than from farming.
"Our agri-tourism revenue might be 30 percent of our entire farm income. We'd like to grow it to one day maybe 60 percent," Dunn said.
Americans spent more than $700 million on agri-tourism activities in the United States in 2012. That is an increase of 24 percent from 2007.
In Loudoun County Virginia, there are farms where grapes are grown for use in making wine. Many of the farms let people visit, and drink the wine that is made there. Bill Hatch owns the Zephaniah Farm Vineyard. He holds wine tastings in his home.
"We are doubling the number of visitors to our farm every year. We have an average of 250 people on a weekend," Hatch said.
As more people visit farms, more farmers are adding activities in which visitors can take part.
Malcolm Baldwin owns WeatherLea Farm and Vineyard in Loudoun County. Six years ago, he began letting people be married at his farm. They can also sleep at the farm overnight. Mr. Baldwin says the money he makes from these activities let him keep his small farm operating.
"But without the animals, and without the vines, the wedding business wouldn't be as profitable, because people like to see the vines. They like to see the animals and without which I don't think this will be a popular place," Baldwin said.
And that's the VOA Learning English Agriculutre Report. I'm Caty Weaver.
文本来自51voa，译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载。
词汇解释
1.maze n. 迷宫；迷惑；糊涂 vt. 迷失；使混乱；使困惑
The palace has extensive gardens, a maze, and tennis courts.
这座宫殿有几个大花园，一处迷宫和几处网球场。
2.hands-on adj. 亲身实践的，亲自动手的
This hands-on management approach often stretches his workday from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
这种事必躬亲的管理方法常常使他在工作日从早晨6:00一直工作到晚上11:00。
3.vine n. 藤；葡萄树；藤本植物；攀缘植物 vi. 长成藤蔓；爬藤
Every square metre of soil was used, mainly for olives, vines, and almonds.
每一平方米的土壤都用上了，主要是种植橄榄、葡萄藤和杏树。
内容解析
1.As more people visit farms, more farmers are adding activities in which visitors can take part.
take part 参与， 参加
We had the devil's own job to persuade him to take part.
我们说服他参加可费了一番周折。
I was quite sulky, so I didn't take part in much.
我很烦，所以没有积极参与。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。
随着美国各地天气变冷，越来越多的美国人到农场参观。他们摘苹果，坐干草车，走在田间地头。这些人被称作是“农家乐游客”，他们促进了农村地区经济的发展，帮助农场主增加收益。
学生们走在玉米迷宫里，这些玉米地被切割成复杂的通道，这样很难找到出口。
这些孩子们来自马里兰州鲍伊市的约克镇小学，他们来到同在马里兰州的乔治王子县蒙彼利埃农场，这座农场距离白宫约40公里。
黛比·皮尔逊是这些学生的老师。
“我们进行这种田间旅行，这样孩子们就能了获得农场的第一手经验。”
艾米·艾蒂丝-史密斯和她的孩子们一起参观农场。
“我们一年来一次，很开心的，孩子们很喜欢，她最喜欢的就是摘南瓜。”
在2008年麦克·邓恩向农业观光客推出家庭农场时，他只有玉米地迷宫，一块南瓜田和干草车。不过他说，因为来参观的人多，他很快就增加了活动种类，他说希望有一天从游客身上获得的利润比农业本身要多。
“我们的农业观光收入是整个农场收入的30%，我们希望有一天达到60%。”
2012年美国人在国内农业旅游活动上花了7亿多美元，比2007年增加了24%。
维吉尼亚州劳顿郡有些葡萄农场，这些葡萄用来酿酒。很多农场允许人们参观，并品尝这里酿造的酒。比尔·哈奇是Zephaniah葡萄庄园的主人，他在家中举办品酒会。
“每年到我们农场的游客人数都翻倍，平均每周来250人。”
随着来访游客的增多，越来越多的农场主开始增加游客可以参与的活动。
马尔科姆·鲍德温是劳顿郡WeatherLea葡萄庄园的主人，6年前，他开始让人们在农场里办婚礼，游客们还可以在农场过夜，鲍德温说他从这些活动中挣的钱可以让这个小农场得以继续运营下去。
“但是如果没有动物，没有葡萄，婚礼业务就无法盈利，因为喜欢看到这些葡萄架。他们喜欢看到动物，我想如果没有动物，这里就不那么吸引人了。”
这就是美国之音慢速英语农业报道，我是凯蒂·韦弗。
